Cleaner Vehicles for the 21st Century

 

Monday, May 13, 2002

1:00 – 2:30 p.m., 2168 Rayburn House Office Building

 


Featured from left to right: Ken House, Art Guzzetti, Catherine Rips,

 John Van de Varst, Warren Leon, Fred Cartwright, Dana Lowell

 

Please click here to view the Briefing Summary!

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) and the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) sponsored a Congressional briefing on the potential of cleaner transportation technologies and fuels in all vehicles including passenger cars, transit buses and school buses.  This is an important issue in the national energy debate and in the upcoming reauthorization of the transportation bill.  This briefing was held in conjunction with the annual Tour de Sol, a showcase event on the Mall in which individuals test-drive new hybrid-electric vehicles and speak with industry representatives.

 

The expert panel provided information on the impacts of the transportation sector on national security, the environment, and public health.  Speakers addressed how the nation’s transportation system can be improved with alternative fuels and advanced technologies, such as compressed natural gas, ethanol, biodiesel, electric, electric-hybrid, and fuel cell technologies.  The briefing was moderated by Carol Werner, Executive Director, EESI and will include the following panelists:

      

·         Dana Lowell, Assistant Chief Maintenance Officer, MTA New York City Transit,

      325 additional Hybrid Buses from Orion/Lockheed ordered for delivery in 2002 and 2003

·         Catherine Rips, Director of Resource Development, SunLine Transit (Thousand Palms, CA)

      SunLine utilizes CNG and LNG transit buses and other cleaner fueled vehicles.

·         John Van de Varst, USDA Beltsville Area Agricultural Research Service (Beltsville, MD)

·         Fred Cartwright, Program Director, Allison Electric Drives, Allison Transmission Division of General Motors (Indianapolis, IN)

·         Art Guzzetti, Policy Director, American Public Transportation Association

·         Warren Leon, Executive Director, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association

 

The U.S. transportation sector uses more than 65 percent of all oil consumed in the United States.  Therefore, improving technologies and fuels used in the transportation sector can enhance U.S. energy security by displacing petroleum imports and improve the livability of cities and communities by reducing congestion and air pollution. Transportation is the single largest contributor to poor air quality in the United States. Emissions from transportation can contribute from 60 to 90 percent of urban air pollution cause major health problems and result in increased health care costs estimated at billions of dollars per year. 

 

The potential for cleaner transportation technologies is tremendous for transit authorities and personal vehicles. Alternatively-fueled buses, operating in cities and towns throughout the country, are an excellent first step for facilitating a transformation of transportation vehicles. Transit buses present an exceptional opportunity to introduce alternative fuels and advanced technologies because they are prevalent in Clean Air Act “non-attainment” locations; use centralized fueling stations; operate for government entities; and operate in large fleets which can more easily incorporate new technology through fleet-wide purchases.

 

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This congressional briefing was held in conjunction with the Tour de Sol event the following day, May 14th, on the Capitol Mall. 

 

Vehicles will include hybrids like the Toyota RAV4 EV, Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, and the all NEW Honda Civic Hybrid as well as cleaner transit and school buses incorporating compressed natural gas, ethanol, biodiesel, electric, electric-hybrid, and fuel cell technologies.

 

Senior officials will speak at the race-start ceremony for the Tour de Sol road-rally competition at 1:30 pm.

 

For more information, go to the Tour de Sol map and click on Washington, DC.  http://www.nesea.org/transportation/tour

 

With national security, rising dependence on foreign oil, and climate change becoming ever more important issues, learn how you can make a difference. Did you know that choosing how you get around is the most important environmental decision you can make?

 

 

For more information, please contact Naomi Friedman of EESI at

202-662-1882  or  nfriedman@eesi.org.

 

 

Briefing organized by Erik Daugherty